\ RADIAL KEV MAP OF PALESTINE Copyright, 1889, by Geo. May Poweu,. JOURNEYS OF OUR LORD. [Green Fund Book, No. 7.] PEOPLE'S COMMENTARY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. CONTAINING THE COMMON VEESION, 1611, AND THE REVISED VEESION, 1881 (AMERICAN READINGS AND RENDERINGS), WITH CRITICAL, EXEGETICAL AND APPLICATIVE NOTES, AND ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN FROxM LIFE AND THOUGHT IN THE EAST. BY EDWIN W. RICE, r).E>. AUTHOR OF "PEOPLE'S COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW,'' "PICTORIAL COMMENTARY ON MARK," ETC., ETC. MAPS AND ORIGINAL ENGRAVINGS. PHILADELPHIA: The American Sunday-School Union, 1122 chestnut street. New York: 8 and 10 Bible House. THE JOHN C. GREEN FUND BOOKS. This volume has been prepared and issued under the provisions of the John C. Green Income Fund. The fund was founded in 1877, Avith the cordial concurrence of Mrs. Green, by Robert Lenox Kennedy, on behalf of the residuary legatees of John C. Green. Among other things, it is provided by the deeds of gift and of trust that one sixth of the net interest and income of this fund shall be set aside, and whenever the same shall amount to one thousand dol- lars, the Board of Officers and Managers of the American Sunday- School Union shall apply the income " for the purpose of aiding them in securing a Sunday-school literature of the highest order of merit." This may be done " either by procuring works upon a given subject germane to the objects of the society, to be written or com- piled by authors of established reputation and known ability, . . . or by offering premiums for manuscripts suitable for publication by said Union, in accordance with the purposes and objects of its insti- tution, - . . in such form and manner as the Board of Officers and Managers may determine." The premium plan is to be followed at least once out of every three times. It is further required that the manuscripts procured under this fund shall become the exclusive property of the American Sunday- School Union, with no charge for copyright to purchasers of the book, it being the intention of the trust to reduce the selling price of works issued under the provisions of the fund. Copyright, 1889, by the American Sunday-School Union. PREFACE. The general stiidj^ of the Gospels is now more wide-spread, and the searching, critical examination of their origin and contents more severe than in any previous period. The original processes of critical investi- gation are too voluminous and complicated for any but a specialist to master, and too full of technical terms for the ordinary reader. Stu- dents and readers require the results of Biblical learning and critical research to be given to them in a concise, clear and trustworthy form. The marked favor with which my previous commentaries on Matthew and Mark have been received, has been one of the chief encouragements in writing a similar work on Luke. In the preparation of this, as of the previous volumes, the aim has been : 1. To assist every one to read each of the Gospel narratives as if he were in Galilee or Judaea, and familiar with the scenery, the people, and the habits of life, speech and thought current in Palestine when Jesus was upon the earth. 2. To aid the reader to grasp the meaning of the sacred text, through the Common, the Revised, or, when help- ful, through a more literal English version. 3. To present to busy minds the results of critical learning, clearly, concisely and free from technical terms and from skeptical teachings or delusive speculations. The student will find the following convenient features in the work : 1. The text of the common English version of 1611 ; and, in parallel columns, 2. The text of the Revised Version of 1881, with the readings and renderings preferred by the American Committee incorporated into the text. 3. The text divided into topical portions suitable for Sabbath lessons in the family or in the Sabbath-school. 4. Comments grouped under these topical divisions and also under each verse, to facilitate the ready reference to any verse or clause of a verse in any chapter of the Gospel. (3) PREFACE. 5. Gleanings from the best works of eminent Biblical scholars, from the earl}^ Fathers until now, and specially from Talmudic literature, illus- trating the text. 6. Suggestive applications, designed to aid in impressing the spiritual lessons. 7. Maps, and engravings, from original sources (photographs, etc.), to illustrate the narrative. 8. A brief introduction presenting historical and Biblical testimony relating to the authority and authorship of the third Gospel, its compo- sition and language. 9. A special examination into the vocabulary of the Synoptic Gos- pels, as showing their correspondences and variations. The great multitude of elementary and complex theories concerning the origin, sources, interdependence and independence of the Gospels, which modern criticism has invented, cannot but prove bewildering to the ordi- nary reader, should he attempt to peruse them in detail. He does not wish to remain ignorant of them, but would prefer to find them sifted, and whatever of practical value may be reached through them briefly presented. This is a part of the work the author has attempted here to do for his readers. The result, he trusts, will be to stir the con- science of the indiiFerent, remove the uncertainties of the doubting, and confirm the faith of all who hope in the Christ. Special acknowledgments are due to the Rev. Moseley H. Williams for suggestions during the preparation of this work, and to Mr. Walter Koenig (of Leipzig) for aid in correcting the proofs, and in verifying references to authors. EDWIN W. RICE. Pliiladelpliia, September, 1889. INTRODUCTION. THE GOSPEL ACCORDmG TO LUKE. The Author. — The writer of the third Gospel does not avow his authorship in it, nor is he expresslj^ named in that, or in the subsequent book of the Acts."^ Since the middle of the second century, however, the uniform testimony of the Christian Church ascribes the third Gospel to Luke. Much of this testimony which is entirely trustworthy has been preserved to our time. Moreover, this evidence further declares that this Gospel was then accepted as authentic, and that Luke was then universally believed to be the author, because a line of trustworthy wit- nesses reaching from then back to the apostolic period, had declared it to be the uniform historic belief of the early church from the first, that Luke wrote the Gospel to which his name is now prefixed. His name was identified with it at a very early period, and is found in the title to it, in the oldest copies and oldest versions that have been preserved to our times, t * In each of the thirteen Pauline Epistles, Paul declares himself to be tlie author, as " Paul an apostle, . . . unto the churches of Galatia," etc. So James, Peter and Jude avow tlieir author- ship of the letters which bear their respective names. John likewise declares himself to be the author of the Revelation, Rev. 1 : 4, but his Epistles do not contain such a declaration. The four Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistle to the Hebrews contain no declaration respecting their authorship. fThe oldest written copies are : the Vatican, and the Sinaitic MSS. belonging to the Fourth century. The oldest Versions are : 1, an imperfect old Syriac copy of the Gospels of the third century; 2, the Peshitto (Syriac), in which the title runs: "Gospel of Luke the Evangelist, which he published and preached in Greek in Alexandria the Great;" 3, the Vetus Itala, or Old Latin, quoted by Tertullian in the beginning of the third century. Unquestionably thi8 old African Latin Version was current in the second century. See Weiss, Intro, to N. T. Vol. 2, p. 414. 4, the Latin Vulgate. Besides the Syrian and Latin groups of Versions, there was also an Egyptian group of Versions, which have not been as thoroughly examined by modern scholars. The title to the Gospel, "According to Luke," is meant to declare the authorship, and not that it is the Gospel written by another on the plan of Luke. (See Rice on Matthew, p. 17.) The title can be traced at least to a. d. 180, and was uniformly understood by the early Christian Fathers to indicate the authorship. 5 6 INTRODUCTION. Historical Testimony. — The testimony of the early Christian Church to the authority and authorship of the third Gospel is of a three-fold character : direct, indirect, and circumstantial evidence. Only a small portion of this mass of evidence can be noticed here. Jerome about 340- 420 revised the "Vetus Itala, or Old Latin Version of the Scriptures," and made the "Vulgate Version" now accepted in the Roman Catholic Church. This ascribes the third Gospel to Luke. And Jerome, in re- ferring to the writers of the canonical books of the New Testament, ex- pressly says : "the first are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. . . The Acts of the Apostles, another work of Luke the physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, contains the history of the infant church. ' ' Eusebius of Csesarea, 270-335, wrote a history of the church from the apostolic times to the twentieth year of Constantine's reign. Book III. chap. 24 of that work entitled "The Order of the Gospels," has this statement: "Matthew having first proclaimed the Gospel in Hebrew, . . . com- mitted it to writing in his native tongue, and thus supplied the want of his presence to them by his writings. After Mark and Luke had already published their Gospels, they say that John, who during all this time was proclaiming the Gospel without writing, at length proceeded to write it on the following occasion." He then states how John wrote of those teachings and doings of Jesus which the others had omitted. Eusebius and Jerome report it was a current belief in the church that Luke was of Antioch. Cyprian of Carthage, 246-258, mentions the four Gospels by their authors, which he compared to the four rivers of paradise. He refers to the third Gospel, "item in evangelio cata Lucam, etc. ; " " Likewise in the Gospel according to Luke," Test. Lib. 1 c. 8. Dionysius of Alexandria, 247-265, discusses the resurrection of Jesus in SI letter to Basilides, in which he cites successively from each of the four Gospels by name. Origen, 185-253, was pre-eminent amcng the early Christian Fathers. " Unsurpassed in Christian zeal, unrivalled in uni- versal learning, he devoted a long life to the study of the Scripture." * Of the four Gospels, Origen says : f "As I have learned by testimony concerning the four Gospels, which alone are received without dispute by the whole church of God under heaven. The first is written accord- ing to Matthew, who was once a publican. . . The second is according to Mark, who composed it as Peter explained it to him. . . The third is If it is said that this title to the Gospel was aflBxed as a mere supposition of the early Fathers, anil without historical evidence, then it must be explained why they chose a i ame, compani- tively so little known as Luke, rather than Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, or even Titus. That a name little known is at the head, is strong corroborative evidence that it represents the true author. * Westcolt. t Eusebius Hist. vi. c. 25. INTRODUCTION. that according to Luke, the Gospel commended by Paul, published for Gentile converts. And last of all the Gospel by John." Origen wrote extended commentaries on all these Gospels, in which they are named Matthew, ^lark, Luke, and John. Tertullian, 160-230, was also distin- guished for his learning, being a master of Greek and Latin and of philosophy. He wrote many books, and an able defence of the truth against the heresies of Marcion. He states : " In the first place we lay this down for a certain truth that the evangelic scriptures have for their authors the apostles, to whom the work of publishing the Gospel was committed by the Lord himself . . And if also apostolical men, not them alone. . . To conclude, among the apostles, John and Matthew teach us the faith ; among apostolic men, Luke and Mark refresh it. . . I say then, that not only by them [the churches] founded by the apostles, but by all who have fellowship with them in the same faith, this Gospel of Luke has been received without contradiction from the moment of its publication. He also states that Luke's work is often ascribed to Paul, since indeed, it is easy to take that for the master's which the disciples have published." Adv. Marcion. iv. 2, 5. Clement of Alexandria, 160-220, says of the order of the Gospels,^ "those which contain the genealogies were written first." He cites the third Gospel, "For thus it is written in the Gospel according to Luke, ' Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, the word of the Lord came unto John the son of Zacharias.' " 3 : 1, 2. He cites frequently from the Acts, usually in this way : "As Luke in the Acts of the Apostles records Paul to have said," etc. Irengeus of Lyons, 130-202, was born in Asia Minor, and in his youth was a pupil of Polycarp. In his letter to Florinus, he says, " I can tell the very place where the blessed Polycarp sat and taught, . . the form of his person, and the discourses he made, . . and how he related his conversation with John and others who had seen the Lord." In his famous treatise against heresies, he declares there are four Gospels, "nor can there be more or fewer." Concerning their authorship, Irengeus states: "Matthew then among the Jews wrote a Gospel in their own language. . . Mark also the dis- ciple and interpreter of Peter delivered to us in writing the things that had been preached by Peter, and Luke the companion of Paul put down in a book the Gospel preached by him [Paul]. Afterwards John the dis- ciple of the Lord . . published a Gospel while he dwelt at Ephesus." Irenaeus makes about eighty citations from Luke's Gospel. The Mura- torian Fragment, about 180, represents the belief of the churches respect- ing the Gospels, a clause of which reads thus : "Thirdly, the book of the * Eus. Hist. vi. 14. INTRODUCTION. Gospel according to Luke. This Luke a physician, when Paul after the ascension of Christ, had received him among the followers . . wrote in his own name and out of his own judgment. Neither had he seen the Lord in the flesh. Carrying his narrative back as far as he had informa- tion, he began with the birth of John." Tatian, 140-170 (?) constructed one continuous Gospel narrative by combining the four Gospels, called TO Sia reacdpuv^ ' ' of the four, ' ' of which an Arabic copy has been found and a translation lately issued. It proves that Tatian had the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Justin the MartjT, 105- 165, quotes copiously from the four Gospels, which he says "were written by the apostles and their companions. ' ' He speaks of those ' ' who have written the history of all things concerning oui* Saviour Jesus Christ," Apol. 1. He quotes these as "memoirs" or "mem- orabilia of the apostles, ' ' reminding us of a similar title to the works of Xenophon. Justin mentions the census of Quirinius, the institution of the Lord's supper, the agony in Gethsemane, and that Jesus was sent to Herod, in the forms and terms reported by Luke only."^ Clement of Rome, 30-100 (?), a companion of Peter and Paul, in an epistle, quotes expressions found in'Luke's Gospel; and Polj^carp, a disciple of the apostle John, quotes from the Acts. It is now generally conceded that the spurious gospel of Marcion was a perversion chiefly of Luke's Gospel. Marcion was a heretical teacher at Rome, 140-160. But Cerdo came to Rome earlier than Marcion, and had taught a similar heretical system based upon perversions of the Gospels, a system which Marcion adopted. Similar testimony to the authority and authorship of the Gospel can be drawn from Hegisippus, Basilides, Papias, and others of the first and second centuries, although in the fragments of their works which have come down to us they do not mention Luke by name. But when we consider how small a portion of the writings of the early Fathers have been preserved to our time, and how very fragmentary the preserved portions are, the evidence seems remarkable for its completeness and strength. The chain of testimony is continuous back to the band of disciples, the followers of the apostles, to which Luke belonged. A similar line of evidence might also be adduced to establish the au- thority and authorship of each of the other Gospels. Biblical Facts. — 1. The third Gospel and the Acts are both addressed to Theophilus, Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1. This fact, taken with the marked similarity in the plan, language, and style of the two books, establishes the identity of the author of the Acts with the author of the third * Justin, Apol. 1 : 34, 66 : Dial. c. 41, 70, 106. INTRODUCTION. 9 Gospel. That the same person wrote both these books, is now well-nigh universaUy admitted. (See Holtzmann, ^«'«?. 374.) He was not of the apostolic band, but was one of their disciples. He asserts that the "matters" in his narrative were given "even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word." Luke 1 : 2, Eev. Yer. Am. Ed. 2. Historical testimony identifies the author with the companion of Paul, who calls him " the beloved physician ; " "Luke, the beloved phy- sician, and Demas salute you." Col. 4 : 14. 3. He was a personal friend of Paul : ' ' Only Luke is with me ." 2 Tim. 4:11. 4. He was a fellow-laborer with Paul : ' ' Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus saluteth thee ; and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow-workers." Philemon 23, 24, Rev. Ver. 5. From the passage in Col. 4 : 10-14, it is inferred that Luke was not a Jew, since he is not named in a group of Christians who were of the circumcision, but in the following group. 6. Furthermore, the writer of the Acts distinctly asserts that he had written a " former treatise " on the life and teachings of Jesus which he had addressed to the same person. From these facts, several others follow as necessary inferences : 7. As the author belonged to the medical profession, he must have possessed a certain amount of scientific knowledge. For in the time of the Roman Emperors there was at Rome a CoUegium archiatromm, a school or commission of control (Godet calls it " a superior college"), which was required to examine those desiring to practice medicine, and it had the power to inquire into their modes of treatment, and to cancel the right of any to act as physicians who were ignorant or incompetent, or who made serious mistakes. Luke, therefore, must have been a man of education. 8. He made journej^s with Paul. At Troas he joined the apostle, as the term "us" introduced by the writer (Acts 16 : 10) implies ; went with Paul to Philippi, where he remained, and Paul rejoined him there some years later. Acts 20 : 5. Luke then travelled with Paul to Jeru- salem, as the "we" in the narrative implies. See Acts 20 : 6, 13-15 ; 21 : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc. He also sailed with him on Paul's voyage to Rome, and was shipwrecked with the apostle. Acts 27 : 1 ; 28 : 2, 12, 16. 9. From 2 Tim. 4 : 11, and context, it is inferred that Luke was with Paul in Rome shortly before the latter sufi"ered martyrdom.^ * Ensebius and Jerome say Luke was of Antioch. Meyer and De Wette say this came from an erroneous interpretation of Acts 13 : 1. But the Fathers were better scholars than io derive 10 INTRODUCTION. Of his subsequent life nothing is certainly known. Traditions that he preached the gospel in Gaul, and was nailed to, or hanged on, an olive tree in Greece when eightj'^ years old, are not based on trustworthy his- torical evidence. There is a general tradition more credible, that he ended his days in Achaia. (See Jerome De FiV., ill.^ c. 7.) Composition of the Gospel. — The aim of the author is clearly stated in his preface. Luke 1 : 1-4. He intends to set forth, in order, the doings and teachings of Jesus as historical facts ("fulfilled among us," 1 : 2 ; and compare Acts 1:1,2), and to strengthen the faith of Theophilus. It is needless to seek for some other disguised or hidden purpose to justify its preparation.* No sufficient reason has been dis- covered that would lead the writer to conceal his real purpose, and his declared aim is a worthy one, and consistent with the character of the narrative. According to the Clementine Recognitions, x. 71, of about the middle of the second century, Theophilusf was a great man in authority at Antioch, in Syria, and consecrated, in the name of the church, a grand hall in his house. It should be added that this purpose of assuring the credibility of the doctrines in which Theophilus had been instructed, does not exclude, but rather implies, the idea of confirming others in the same truth through him. In that period, as in ours, it was not uncommon for authors to address their literary works to some person of distinction, to introduce them more effectively to the public. So Horace addressed some of his odes to Maecenas, Virgil addressed one of his eclogues to PoUio, and Cicero several of his treatises to Brutus. And thus Luke addressed his treatises to Theophilus, probably in order to secure a wider circle of readers thereby. The date of its composition cannot be definitely determined. The Gospel was certainly written before the Acts. A group of critics of the "destructive school " place the time of the composition of the Gospel in the second century : as Baur, 130, or later ; Zeller and Hilgenfeld, 100 to 1 10 ; Volkmar, 100. Another group of less radical critics place it from 70 to 90 : as Keim, 90 ; Reuss, Meyer, Bleek, Holtzmann and Weiss, 70 to 80. A third group of conservative critics place it between Lucas from Lucius, rather than from Lucanus (as Silas comes from Silvanus). Besides Acts 13 : 1 declares that " Lucius" was of "Cyrene" in North Africa, and notfrom Antioch. *Some conjecture that the writer's real aim was to defend the character and preaching of Paul ; others, to harmonize the views of Judjean and Pauline Christians. These and various other theories urged hy Zeller, Reuss, Overbeck, Volkmar, and others of like critical schools, contradict or oppose one another, so as to leave the reader and the subject in a quagmire of shifting opinions. fThe title "most excellent" is applied to Felix, and to Festus. Acts 23 : 2G; 24: 3; 26 : 25, Revised Version. Luke applies it to Theophilus in his Gospel, but in the Acts omits it, and addresses him, " Theophilus." INTRODUCTION. H 56 and 70. Historic testimony and internal evidence render the first view untenable, and make the second one improbable. The Gospel bears internal evidence of having been written before the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70. Most of the critics who place it after that event also assume that the reference to the fall of Jerusalem in the Gospel is not prophetic, but that this portion of the Gospel was remolded into apparent prophecy after the fall. But the reference to the fall as in the future is plain (see Luke 21 : 5-36), and the Gospel writers were surely truthful and honest. Moreover, if the Acts was not written until after the death of Paul (say 63-67), it is very difficult to see why the writer omitted to mention that apostle's death. Since the Gospel was written before the Acts, it must have been before A. D. 67. Clement, of Alex- andria, says that "the ancient presbyter" related that "the Gospels containing the genealogies were written first."* The date of Luke's Gospel then can be approximately fixed between A. D. 58 and 67. The place of its composition is even more uncertain than the time. Jerome says {De T7r., ill., c. 7) : "Luke, a physician, who composed his work in the countries of Achaia and Boeotia. " But the title to the Syriac version runs : " Gospel of Luke, the Evangelist, which he pub- lished and preached in Greek in Alexandria. ' ' This may mean that he preached it in Alexandria in Greek, though he may have published and written it elsewhere. Or, it may mean that, after writing it in Achaia, he published it at the book-centre of the world, and preached it there in Greek. Some critics have held that it was written at Ephesus, or in Asia Minor, as Kbstlin and Overbeck ; some at Rome, as Hug, Ewald, Davidson, Keim and Holtzmann ; others at Caesarea, as Michaelis, Thiersch, Schafi" and Dods. The latter place has strong points in its favor, but it is not certain that Luke remained with Paul during his two years' detention at Caesarea, and this early date might place its compo- sition earlier than Matthew's Gospel. Yet SchaiF declares it to be almost the unanimous testimony of the early church that Matthew was written first. AVeiss concludes {Intro. Vol. 11. , 314) "all conjectures as to the place of its composition are quite visionary. ' ' We may, however, accept Achaia, the traditional place, provisionally in our studies, and wait for further light. The Language and Style. — Luke's Gospel was written in Greek. While his prologue, 1:1-4, is in classic Greek,! of elegant diction, and the practised Greek author is seen throughout the Gospel in his use of * Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., VI. 14. The supposed statement of Irenfens tliat Luke wrote after the death (or departure from Rome) of Peter and Paul is an error, based ou a wrong reading of Irenaeus' language. t See Weiss. Introduction. Vol. 11. , 298, 299. 12 INTRODUCTION. particles and in his peculiar grammatical forms, as in his use of a gen- erally pure, vigorous Greek, the work abounds in Aramaic forms and expressions. And these Hebraisms appear in Luke, where they are sometimes wanting in the parallel passages found in Matthew and Mark. His style is well suited to the historical method. His precision and accuracy of statement have stood the test of the severest criticism. His numerous chronological data have been minutely examined, and "finally vindicated as historically accurate."* He was not an eye-witness, nor did he get his information from one apostle only ; but he gathered it, as he tells us, from several who were ' ' eye-witnesses and ministers " " from the beginning. ' ' He must also have known the character of the works of the "many" who had written narratives of "those matters which have been fulfilled," and upon which the Christian faith was founded. These oral and written sources, which modified somewhat the purity of his Greek, may now be considered. The Sources of the Gospel. — While the Gospel is a part of divine revelation by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it is also a revelation made to man through men — that is, through human language and agencies. It is not improper reverently to consider these human elements in the Gospel. How and from whence did the Evangelist Luke obtain the historic materials for his Gospel ? Were they directly and miraculously made known to him by the Holy Spirit without the use of means? Beyond question, God could have thus revealed them. But does he usually multiply miracles to do for man, what man has been given power to do for himself? Human power could not raise Lazarus from the dead, but it could roll away the stone ; the stone it is required to roll away. Moreover Luke does not claim to have received his narrative in that miraculous manner, but does say that he had his material from apostolic persons, and that he had "traced the course of all things accu- rately from the first." 1 : 3, Revised Version. Prof Gardiner aptly saj'S : "So far as the human elements of his work were concerned, he (Luke) was in a similar position with ourselves ; he examined, compared and sifted the testimony before him, and recorded for our instruction that which, guided by the Spirit, he found to be true."t Of the character of the narratives which " many " had attempted " to draw up ' ' before Luke wrote, nothing definite is known. From the similar- ities of the first three Gospels, some suppose that Luke used the Gospels by Matthew and Mark in his work. But neither of the evangelists make any reference to the work of either of the others. And Luke cannot have referred to Matthew's Gospel ; for he says the " many " were those * Prof. F. Gardiner, in S. S. World, June, 1889. ^ S. S. World, June, 1889. INTRODUCTION. 13 to whom the "eye-witnesses " had " delivered " the facts ; but IMatthew was an apostle and eye-witness himself. It becomes necessary therefore, to examine the relation of the Synoptic Gospels (the first three) to each other. The Synoptic Gospels. The first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, have been some- what inaccurately called synoptic (from two Greek words, oh', together, and drpig, sight or view), because they give a similar view of the events and teachings in the life of Christ. The relation of these three Gospels to one another has been discussed since the days of Augustine. Within the past hundred years, much ingenuity and study have been spent in the invention of theories respecting the origin of these Gospels, which would at once account for their agreements and variations. The theories may primarily be classed in three groups. I. The first three Gospels came from one, and are dependent on one another. II. They are based upon one or more earlier documents. III. They are based on an oral Gospel. The theories in the first group have been various, e. g.: 1. Matthew wrote first, Mark used JMatthew, and then Luke used both the others ; so Grotius, Mill, Wetstein, Bengel, and Hug. 2. 3Iatthew first, then Luke, and lastly Mark ; so Griesbach, De Wette, Bleek, Delitzsch, and nearly, Kostlin and Keim. 3. Mark first, then Luke and Matthew ; so Weisse and Hitzig, 4. Mark first, then Matthew and Luke ; so Ritschl and Lachmann. 5. Luke first, then Mark, and lastly Matthew ; and 6. Luke first, next Matthew, and lastly Mark.* It will be seen that these views must be largely destructive of one another. The second group has been even more productive of various theories than the first group : 1. The earliest Gospel was a written Aramaic one (not Matthew's), so Lessing. 2. ItwasinGreek, soEichhorn. 3. "Logia" were first, i. e., discourses of our Lord in fragments. 4. "Logia" and events, i. e., an earlier Mark. 5. "Logia" and some added outline of the life of Jesus. That from these, 6, our Matthew was first written. 7. Our Mark was first written. 8. That Luke was first. It will be seen that the theories of this group are Hkewise mutually self-destructive. The most prominent theories now in this field may be thus stated : 1 . Our Mark came from an earlier Mark now lost, and our Matthew and Luke from the earlier Mark and "Logia," i. e., an earlier Matthew, with certain additions from other oral and written sources ; urged prom- *It should be added that several who hold that the synoptics are thus dependent, would say, however, that the dependence is upon some form of the Gospel earlier than those now extant, and hence combine the principle of the first with that of the second group of theories. 14 INTRODUCTION. inently by Holtzinann,* who holds that this is the order in which our Gospels were written, Mark, Matthew and Luke. 2. Matthew's Logia with which he combined incidents, preceded our Gospels. This original may have been Hebrew, but must have been translated into Greek before our Gospels were written. Luke wrote from a mass of material partly from the apostolic source (earlier Matthew), from Mark, and partly from other documents, "a new and independent work." The entire substance of Mark is in the first and third Gospels ; Luke, as we have it, having been the last one written of our three Gospels. This is stoutly urged by Weiss. f 3. The third group of theories is not as large as either of the others. With much learning it has been urged that an oral Gospel would become more or less fixed in form, and be thus handed down from the apostles, and that such a Gospel best accounts for the correspondences and varia- tions in our Synoptic Gospels ; so Westcott and others hold. The diffi- culties urged against this theory are, that it is unnatural to suppose the apostles would have a stereotyped form of narrative in their preaching, and if they had, the order of the narrative would become fixed also, but this fixed order does not appear in our Canonical Gospels. It is obvious that along these lines of speculation, a complete agree- ment among scholars respecting the origin of the first three Gospels is at present well-nigh hopeless. On the other hand there is substantial agreement upon two points. All, agree, 1, that an oral Gospel preceded our Canonical Gospels. ^ 2. That written documents more or less fragmentary concerning the life and teachings of our Lord were in existence before Luke wrote. Proceeding from these two settled facts, it seems natural that as the apostolic labors extended in ever widening circles, and disciples and helpers were multiplied in widely separated fields, the necessity for authoritative written narratives would arise. It would be equally natural for an apostle as Matthew, and for apostolic helpers as Mark and Luke in their several fields of labor, and quite independently of each other, to supply this need of a written Gospel. In writing each would gather and use all the material, oral and written, at command, and disciples like * Einl.y N. T. t Intro. N. T. 2 Vols., 1886. Cf. Dods. Intro. N. T. 1888, p. 7-15, and Salmon, Intro. N. T. 1886, p. 139 ff. X Holtzmann declares, " It is now-a-dajs an accepted position that the oral tradition must be considered the ultimate basis of the entire Gospel literature." Syn. Evang. p. 52. And again, "At bottom all Gospels rest on the oral tradition." Einl., N. T. p. 340. And "all things considered, the double source hj'pothesis offers the most probable solution of the synoptic problem." Weiss likewise holds to the independence of the first and third Gospels, and that an oral Gospel was first, followed by one or more documents, from which our Canonical Gospele came. See Manual Intro. N. T. 1S8G, Vol. II. pp. '.il9-::63 fif. INTRODUCTION. 15 Mark and Luke would likewise naturally gain all the information possible from the apostles whose companions they were or had been, and con- struct from this mass of material a Gospel suited to the wants of the people among whom they respectively labored. Leaving this uncertain sea of speculation, it will be more profitable to examine some of the facts respecting the construction of the Synoptic Gospels. Vocabulary of the Synoptic Writers. — The purity and extent of the stock of words used by any person may be taken as fairly indica- tive of his culture. The vocabulary of a common peasant, or of an illiterate backwoodsman, for example, will be found to be very limited and coarse, compared with the stock of words at the command of a well- informed person in good society. In this respect the vocabulary of the Synoptic writers, though not very remarkable for its extent, is marvel- lously chaste, forceful, and well fitted to express moral and religious truth. L The total stock of Greek words used by the Synoptic writers, ex- clusive of proper names, is about 2400. Of this number Mark uses about 1200 difi'erent words; Matthew about 1500; and Luke nearly 1800 different words.* For treatises as brief as the first three Gospels, and upon one theme, and in the Greek language, which is less copious than the English, this vocabulary proves that the writers were by no means ignorant or uncul- tured persons. The comparative brevity of the Gospels is apparent to any reader, yet it may be worth stating, that the Gospel of JMatthew in Greek (Revised Text, Oxford, 1881) contains 18,370 words; of Mark 10,981, and of Luke 19,496 words ; or a total of 48,847 Greek words in the three Synoptic Gospels. 2. Again, the number of difi'erent Greek words used by Matthew but not found in Mark or Luke is 243 ; the number used by Mark but not found in Matthew or Luke is 174 ; while the number used by Luke but not found in Matthew or Mark is 61 4. This also indicates the fulness of the vocabulary of Luke, which is particularly seen in a greater number of words from the classic Greek. The number of difi'erent Greek words common to Matthew and Mark only is 188 ; to Matthew and Luke only is 321 ; to Mark and Luke only is 111 ; while the number used in common by all the three Synoptics is 737. 3. While the Aramaic (Hebrew) phrases and forms are frequent in *It may be interesting for the English reader to be reminded, that an uneducated peasant is said to have a command of scarcely more than 300 different words ; a voluminous and learned writer like Milton used about 8,000 words, while the greatest maeter of English, Shakespeare, had a vocabulary of about 15,000 words. 16 INTRODUCTION. Luke, only fifteen Hebrew loords, exclusive of proper names, can be found in his Gospel, three only being peculiar to it. Yet about sixty words borrowed from the Hebrew are used by the New Testament writers,* Again, Luke sometimes uses Aramaic expressions or phrases affected by them, when in the parallel passages of Matthew those Ara- maic forms are often wanting. As Matthew is believed to have written originally in Aramaic, or certainly to have understood that language, the presence of these expressions in Luke sometimes when not found in Matthew, is one strong proof of the independence of Luke as a writer. The Greek scholar may compare Luke 5 : 1 with Matt. 4 : 18 ; Luke 5 : 12, 17, 18 with Matt. 8:1; 9:1,2; 12 : 9 ; Luke 8 : 22 with Matt. ie Lord God of Israel ; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David ; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began : Revised Version. 68 Blessed he the Lord, the God of Israel ; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been of old), Luke 1:71-78.] TfiE PROPHECY OF ZACIIARIAS. 41 71. from our enemies . . . that hate us] These two clauses are in apposition, and both refer to the same class ; Israel's enemies. This may be taken as a temporal and as a spiritual deliverance also. To the Jewish mind the two were well-nigh inseparable. The pure and peaceable worship of God could only be enjoyed by a national deliverance from their enemies and by independence from foreign temporal domination. The promise to the fathers, and the covenant in all Old Testament times meant to them the bestowal of temporal and spiritual mercies. This thought is more fully and clearly de- clared in vs. 74, 75. The Jewish nation had suffered almost untold horrors during the Maccabsean period, and under the Macedonians and the Romans, and preceding and up to the time of this prophecy. They would dwell upon a deliverance from these sore afflictions. Yet the words being the prompt- ings of the Holy Spirit through Zacharias may also be applied in a Christian sense to that greater deliverance from spiritual enemies and the horrors of sin to which the Jew and Gentile alike are subject. 73. oath . . . Abraham] The " oath " here refers to the same promise as the ''holy covenant" of v. 72. The covenant is found in various texts, in Gen. 12 : 3 ; 17 : 4 ; 22 : 16, 17 : and is referred to in Heb. 6 : 13, 14, 17. 76. thou Shalt go before] Zacharias in this verse points out the pre- cise work which his son was to do. He says, thou, little child ; not thou, my son. He speaks as a prophet rather than as a father. The last of the Old Testament prophets in spirit, John the Baptist was also to usher in the new dispensation of grace and glory coming through Jesus Christ. How the way was prepared for the Messiah by John's preaching and baptism, Luke tells us in the following chapters. He gave a knowledge of salvation : his ringing call was. Repent, that your sins may be put away. The Romish idea that ignorance is the mother of devotion finds no favor here. Popes and pagans may love to keep people in ignorance ; true Christianity promotes the highest knowledge and spreads truth. 78. the dayspring from on high] This is voicing the substance of CoMMOx Version 71 That we should be saved from our ene- mies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we, ■.being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, I might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways ; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the teerds said one to another. Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this * thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made 1 Or, Anointed Lord 2 Many ancient authorities read peace, good pleasure among men, '^Gv. men of good pleasure. * Or, satjing Luke 2 : 16-19.] THE BIRTH OF JESUS. 49 Saviour; they praise him that on earth peace and good will toward men are at hand. So the Greek received text reads. There is another Greek reading followed by the Kevised Version, which though unusual and awkward, is favored by the majority of the older MSS. Thus read it means. Glory to God in heaven and on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased. But even here the thought is still the good will of God to men, and not as the Roman Version has it, the good will of men to God. If the revised text is to be followed (but it is stoutly disputed), then the thought of the angelic host seems to dwell on the peace which is to come to the earth among men of good pleasure. The angels did tiot for a moment imagine that any one of the human race could be such an ingrate as not to accept with pleasure the great gift of salvation through the only Son of God. No wonder this song, Gloria in Excelsis, has been so deeply imbedded in the service of the church and in the hearts of her worshippers. There may be no golden bells in heaven to ring out their joyful notes as at the birth of an earthly king, but there was a choir of angels that filled the skies with their sweetest and holiest music and songs at the birth of the Messiah King, the Saviour of mankind. 16. they came with haste] So it came to pass when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, " Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste." Their proposal "to see this thing," literally "the word," did not imply unbelief, but a desire to see this wonderful child for themselves. With the impulsive zeal of the East they rushed away with haste, down the hills and across the valley to the town. Half an hour would suffice to bring them there. A little inquiry would guide them to the house where these strangers might be. The shep- herds indeed would know where to find the khan without inquiry. Here they found Mary, notice she is named first, and Joseph, and also the babe lying in a manger, as the angel had said. Seeking the Saviour we will find him. 18. all . . that heard it wondered] The shepherds did not inquire how this humble child could be the Christ. They began at once to proclaim what the angel had said about the babe ; the angelic song that followed, and how they had found it just as the angel had said. This was enough for the shep- herds : they believed. And their simple testimony made all who heard it marvel. The hearers could not see what all the things spoken of the babe could mean. They could not explain it, so they simply wondered. 19. Mary kept all these sayings] She kept putting these things together in her mind : considering what all the wonderful events connected Common Version. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen iV, they made known abroad the snying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pon- dered tJtem in her heurt, 4 lOr, Revised Version. 16 known unto us. And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the 17 babelyingin the manger. And when theysaw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18 And all that heard it wondered at tlie things which were spoken unto them by the shep- 19 herds. But Mary kejit all these i sayings, things 50 A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. [Luke 2 : 20, 21. with the remarkable babe might really mean, and how the predictions and expectations concerning him would come to pass. She must have spoken of these facts and her feelings later, after Jesus entered upon his public work, so that the apostles, especially John with whom she had a home in her advanc- ing age, became familiar with them. 20. the shepherds returned] The shepherds returned to their duties with their flocks, glorifying and praising God for two things : 1. What they had heard. 2. What they had seen. They were in humble station, but their public testimony is the earliest on record for Christ. Notice in connection with the birth of Jesus : 1. The sacred writer fixes the event exactly into the world's great history. 2. The decree of a world ruler providentially causes Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, rather than in Nazareth where his parents resided, and also that the babe should be laid in a manger ; both exactly ful- filling prophecy. 3. Not kings or great men, but humble shepherds are chosen to be the first public witnesses and heralds of the birth of the Saviour. 4. Angels are profoundly interested in the work of man's redemption. 5. The shepherds at their daily and nightly duties were blessed by the brightness of the divine presence. Suggestive Applications. — 1. The birth of Christ is the greatest event in the world's history. 2. God can providentially cause the greatest rulers unwittingly to fulfill divine prophecies. 3. He can overrule every provi- dence of our lives to further his purpose. 4. The incarnation of the Son of God is a divine mystery : who shall comprehend it? 5. The glory of God fills the highest heaven. 6. Salvation is of God, not of man. 7. The believing soul shall be satisfied : for he shall see Christ as he is. The Presentation in the Temple. 2 : 21-39. Bethlehem and Jerusalem, b. c. 4. 21. his name was called Jesus] When God made his covenant with Abraham he commanded, " he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger." Gen. 17 : 12. As one who would voluntarily become subject to the law, Jesus must obey this command. In the presence of ten witnesses, the rite would be performed by the father or some other friend of the family. It was also the custom formally to name the child when this rite was performed. So this babe was named Jesus, as the angel had directed before his birth. The Old Testament notes four persons who were named before their birth, Isaac and Ishmael, Gen. 17 : 19 ; 16 : 11, Josiah and Cyrus, 1 Kgs. 13:2; Is. 44 : 28. The Talmud says that Common Version. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Revised Version. 20 pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifjnng and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them. 21 And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, liis name was called Jesus, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived iu the womb. Luke 2 : 22-25.] THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE. 51 six persons have been called by tlieir names before their birth, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Josiah and the Messiah, the latter is inferred from Ps. 72 : 17. Eliezer 32. 22. to present him to the Lord] When the days of their (mother and child, see revised reading) purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, which for a son were 40 days. Lev. 12 : 2, 4 (but tradition had added a day making it 41), Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in the temple. Jesus wafcmade of a woman, made under the law. Gal. 4 : 4. The firstborn male of every family of Israel (perhaps not of Levites) liad to be redeemed, Num. 3 : 13, in commemoration of the sparing of Israel's firstborn in Egypt, when those of the Egyptians were slain. Ex. 12 : 2, 14, 15. Even if Mary had been of the Levites, yet Joseph was not, and as the tribal relations of children were counted after the father, Num. 3 ; 15, and not after the mother (though rabbinical traditions had perverted this law, see Maimom. 1. 5), therefore, Jesus w^ould require to be redeemed. This answers the erroneous objection of Edersheim (Life of Jesus I. 194, note 2.) to the Levitic descent of Mary; moreover in Num. 18 : 15, it would seem that all firstborn without exception must be redeemed. The redemption money of a firstborn male child was five shekels, equal to about $2.50 or $3.00. The offering required of the mother was a lamb if she were able, or if poor a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Lev. 12 : 8. One dove was for a burnt ofiering for sin .j/JS^^^S^^^S ' which is strong evidence against the Romish ^^^SB^^^ Js^^^^^m^A \i doctrine that the Virgin Mary was immaculate or sinless. 25. Simeon . . devout, waiting [looking] for the consolation of Israel] Who this Simeon was is unknown. He surely was not the great son of Hillel, also called Simeon. His holy character closely resembled that of Zacharias, Luke 1:6. " May I see the consolation of Israel," was a common Jewish formula in asseveration and also in prayer, before the time of Christ. And curiously enough another Simeon is named in the Talmud as having used it frequently at that period, see Ta\. Bab. Chag. 16 : 2. The "consola- tion " referred both to the redemption, and to the Redeemer of Israel. THE PIGEON. Common Version. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accom- pHshed, they brought him to Jerusalem, to pre- sent Jam to the Ijord ; 23 (4,s |t ia written in the law of the Lord, Every male" that openeth the womb sliall be caHed holy to the Lord ;) , 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusa- lem, whose name wds Simeon ; and the same man was just and, (fevout, waiting for the con- solation of Israel,: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. -^ ' ' Kevised Version. 22 And when the days of their purification according to tlie law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to .lerusalem, to pre- 23 sent him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair 25 of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon ; and this man was right- eous and devout, looking for the cousolatioQ 62 A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. [Luke 2 : 26-32. 26. the Lord's Christ] The Lord's anointed. The saintly and (as is inferred but not said) aged Simeon had been assured by the Holy Spirit that before he died he would see the Messiah. And he liad come into the temple in (that is, filled with) the Holy Spirit, rather than led by him as the Com- mon Version implies, though this may have been likewise true. Simeon waiting thus devoutly in the temple, met the parents of Jesus with the child, as they were ofiering the redemption money, after the custom of the law. • 28. took he him up in his arms] Simeon " received him into his arras " is the revised reading. The Greek word in fact contains both thoughts, for it includes the taking and receiving what is offered. The parents doubt- less seeing the deep interest Simeon had in the child offered to let him take the babe. So Simeon devoutly blessed God, for the fulfillment of his prom- ise, and then in a state of high spiritual ecstasy his thoughts, and thanksgiv- ing took on a measured poetic form of expression in a song that has been known by a Latin name " Nunc Dimittis," from the first two Latin words which begin it in the Vulgate Version, as the song of Mary is known as the Magnificat, and the prophecy of Zacharias as the Benedictus. 29. lettest thou thy servant depart] The Greek word for " Lord " here is an unusual one, deairora, exactly our word "despot" in the old Eng- lish sense of " master," one who has a " bond servant," as the Greek for ser- vant also means. Having fulfilled the promise that I should see the Lord's anointed, now let me depart, die peacefully, as "a master" would set free his bond servant. Death to the aged saint is a release, as being manumitted is to a slave. 32. A light . . to the Gentiles] Simeon recognized in Jesus, the Messiah, that salvation now prepared in the presence of all peoples, not before Israel alone but before all nations, even a light for revelation to, or unveiling (so the Greek word means) of the Gentiles, a thought found in Is. 52 : 10 ; 42 : 6, besides being the glory of Israel. The Gentiles had been veiled under the darkness of sin. Now Christ the light had come to " unveil " them, to remove this veil of darkness from them, that they might see the light. Common Version. 26 And it was revealed unto liim by the Holy Glidst, that he should not see death, before be had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the tem- ple : and when the parents brought in the child .Tesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 AVhich thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. iQr. bondservant. 2 Gr. Master. Eevised Veksion. 26 of Israel : and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed iinto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he liad seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple : and when the parents brought in the ciiild Jesus, that they might do concerning him 28 after the custom of the law, then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Now lettest thou thy i servant depart, 2 Lord, According to thy word, in peace ; 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; 32 A light for 3 revelation to the Gentiles And tlie glory of thy people Israel. 3 Or, the unveiling of the Gentiles Luke 2: 33-37.] THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE. 53 33. his father and his mother were marvelling] One point of in- tere.st in tliis verse is tliat Joseph is named as "his father," see Revised Ver- sion. Jesus never referred to Joseph as his father. The words of Simeon deepened the irapres.sion which had already been made by the angelic messengers, and the words of the shepherds ; this led also to further blessing by Simeon, and a significant warning. 34. . . is set . . for a sign] These words were prophetic, and were not then understood by the hearers. The "falling" is equivalent to overthrow, as of the Phari.sees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Nazarenes in their spiritual con- tests with him ; the " rising " spiritually as of the twelve apostles and the great company of the disciples. As a sign spoken against, became widely true in apostolic days, "as concerning this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken again.st." Acts 28 : 22. Even the name given to his followers was one of derision, and Jesus was called the Nazarene. The attacks would even reach the person and the soul of the mother. Some have thought that this implied the martyrdom of Mary, but tradition and Scripture are silent on this point. It had a fulfillment sore enough when Mary beheld her Son crucified, as a culmination of indignities and cruelties which were heaped upon him. All this suffering of Christ was needful, that the true state of the sin- ful human heart might be laid open, and salvation become an accomplished fact. 36. Anna, a prophetess] Anna is the Greek form of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning " grace." It is remarkable that a woman should be men- tioned as a prophetess at this period when no prophets are recognized. Prophecy had been silent for over 400 years. Even if it be admitted that Anna is called a " prophetess " only in the sense of one who is a spiritual teacher, and not as one foretelling future events, this recognition of a woman in this position at the beginning of the New Testament era is significant. She is named as a daughter of Phanuel, as if he were a well-known person. Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah are in like manner named in the Old Testament as ex- ercising the prophetic gift. Again, that Anna was not of Judah, but of Asher is remarkable. That tribe was carried captive, and no mention is made of any one in it that returned. But this shows that not all of its members per- ished ; a remnant survived. 37. a widow . . fourscore and four] Anna had been married seven Common Version. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those tilings which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Beliold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ; and ft)r a sign which shall be spoken against ; 35 (Yea, a sword sliall pierce through thy own soul also;) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser : she was of a great age, and had lived with a hus- band seven years from her virginity ; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and pray- ers night aud day. 1 Gr. advanced Kevised Version. 33 And his father and his mother were mar- velling at the things which were spoken 34 concerning liim ; and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother. Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel ; and for a sign which is 35 spoken against ; yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul : that thoughts out 36 of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was lof a great age, having lived with a hus- 37 band seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow even unto fourscore and four years), who departed not from the temple, worshipping with fastings and sup- in many days. 54 A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. [Luke 2: 39. years, and at the death of her husband, lived a holy life in the temple courts. There are varied readings and renderings in respect to Anna's age. The English revisers read '' she had been a widow even for fourscore and four years ; " if this be the true reading, then Anna must have been from 105 to 110 years of age. For, if she was married at sixteen and lived seven years with a husband, and eighty-four years as a widow, she would be 107. The " great age " of v. 36 in our versions would seem to favor this view, but the Greek literally is *' advanced in many days " which is not so strong as " of great age." The Common Version and the American revisers' reading mean that Anna was eighty-four years of age; "she had been a widow even unto fourscore and four years," and this is the most satisfactory meaning. She lived in some of the many chambers about the temple, for its courts at this period were occupied by traders and money changers whom our Lord drove out. She "served God with fastings and prayers" or, she was "worshipping with fastings and supplications night and day," as the Revised Version reads. The "holy men" and "holy women" common in the East are in many cases imitations, or counterfeits of the truly godly. There is a large class, the der- vishes that spend their lives in this way ; and live by begging. 38. spake of llilll] From this it would appear that Anna was one who taught and exhorted, rather than foretold future events. She spake of the Lord, " to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem," see Revised Version. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel ; others " were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." But the two expected the same great event : Jerusalem being the place where it was expected that the "consolation" and "redemption" would begin. 39. returned into Galilee] The presentation in the temple was followed by the visit of the wise men to Jesus at Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the babes by Herod, and the return from Egypt to Galilee. These events appear to have been crowded together, but are noted by Matthew, though omitted by Luke. Omissions are not contradictions. Nor can it be proved from these omissions that Luke had or that he had not Matthew's and Mark's Gospels before him, when he wrote. In review of the great facts in this section notice : 1. Jesus as an infant was subject to Jewish law and obeyed it. 2. He was named by special command from God. 3. His mother's offerings imply that she was poor. 4. There is a devout and believing Simeon in a temple when the priests are skeptical Sadducees. 5. Early in gospel history a woman is mentioned as a prophetess or teacher in the temple. Suggestive Applications. — 1. The Christian is subject to law. 2. Jesus fulfilled the law for us. 3. The Lord knows how to pity the poor, for he was Common Version. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they re- turned into Galilee, to their owa city Naza- reth. Revised Version. 38 plications night and daj'. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. Luke 2: 40, 41.] JESUS WITH THE DOCTORS IN THE TEMPLE. 55 a child in the house of a poor man. 4. Each believer is to be just and devout before God, even if others are heedless. 5. God blesses those who are faith- ful, even as he blessed Simeon. 6. The Holy Spirit filled the souls of the godly before the day of Pentecost. 7. Women have a work to do in teaching and testifying for Christ. Jesus with the Doctors in the Temple. 2 : 40-52. Nazareth and Jerusalem, b.c. 4 to a.d. 9. Into these 13 verses are condensed all the authentic facts we have concern- ing the life of Jesus from the return to Nazareth to his entrance upon his ministry. With this exception there are 29 years of the life of the Son of God about which the Bible is profoundly silent. And this silence is strong proof of its accuracy and divine authority. There is no pas.sage like this in the Bible, none more full of interest and instruction to youth. 40. the child grew, and waxed strong] Four things of great impor- tance are stated about the childhood of Jesus. He had a human body, so he grew ; he increased in stature and physical power. He " waxed strong," he developed in physical strength, for the words " in spirit" are omitted in many MSS. and in the Kevised Version ; and the phrase must therefore apply to his whole nature, body, and mind, that became strong. filled with wisdom] or literally " becoming full of wisdom ; " an ex- pression which is clear and broad enough to cover all the teaching Jesus would receive at home, and in the synagogue school of his day, as well as a special fullness of wisdom flowing from his divine nature. In his earliest years he would be taught like other Jewish children of his day, by the mother and later also by the father until four or five years of age. At five a Jewish boy of that time would be sent to the synagogue school to read the Scriptures (Old Testament), beginning with Leviticus. He already had learned the Torah, " commandments," at home. The Scriptures would continue to be almost his only study until he was ten years of age. Leviticus, the entire Pentateuch, the Prophets and finally the Hagiographa, would be mastered, and large portions lodged in the memory. From ten to fifteen he would study the traditional law, then chiefly taught orally, but at a later period written out in the Talmud. The "grace" or favor of God was upon him, he was " full of grace and truth," is John's expression of the same fact. John 1 : 14. There is nothing here of the extravagant legends, silly, boastful mira- cles and strange inventions which crowd the pages of the apocryphal gospels. The reader is conscious of power in the " silences " of Scripture. 41, went . . every year] They went up to Jerusalem and down from Jerusalem. That city is upon a high ridge, 2500 feet above the Mediterranean Common Version. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. Revised Version. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, * filled with wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 41 And his parents went every year to Jeru- 1 Gr. becoming full of wisdom. 56 A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. [Luke 2 : 42, 43. Sea ; and to reach it from any town of Palestine one must go up. The law in Deut. 16 : 1-16 required all the males to appear before the Lord three times in a year. This law was given while the tabernacle in the wilderness was the place of the presence of the Lord. The father of Samuel went up to the " yearly sacrifice " as the parents of Jesus did. 1 Sam. 1 : 21. This implies that the custom of going three times a year was not kept up. The law did not require women to attend, but Hillel had recommended that women also should come. Mary went with Joseph from a personal desire to attend, no doubt, as well as from custom. The feast of the pas.-;over was the great feast, Ex. 23 : 15-17, and took place in the early spring, about Easter time in our month of April. 42. When he was twelve years old] This passover that Jesus attended would be in the spring following the fall or winter when he became twelve years of age ; hence it would be some time in April, about a.d, 9. When a Jewish youth had passed the age of twelve lie was required to attend the passover feast. The Mishnah and Maimonides are not quite clear as to the precise time that the youth formally became a son of the law, though it is usually held to be when he has become 13 years, or 13 years and one day old. Others imply that in his twelfth year he became a son of the law, and began to wear the phylactery at thirteen. The legal time may have been antici- pated a year or so in practice, as Edersheim supposes, but it is fair to infer that after entering the thirteenth year the youth was required to attend the pass- over, and with this law Jesus complied, going up with his parents, yet as personally responsible before the law. This is important to bear in mind in interpreting his action in remaining behind in the temple. This early maturity of children is characteristic of the East. A Syrian youth of twelve is more mature than one of that age in America or England. Boys of fifteen and younger marry in the East, while girls seldom wait beyond that age for marriage. 43. fulfilled the days] The feast of unleavened bread lasted seven days. This and the passover were observed at the same time. The passover was on the 14th day of the first month (Nisan), and on the 15th the seven days' feast of unleavened bread began, so the whole service would require eight days. Ex. 12 : 15-18 ; Deut. 16 : 1-8. To make this journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem would require about four days. The city would be crowded : Josephus says the passover was attended by three millions of pil- grims at this period. We of the Western world have little conception of the vast crowds that make religious pilgrimages in the East. There is a Moslem shrine at Tanta in Egypt which is said to be visited by a million of pious pilgrims in one year. Mecca swarms with pilgrims at certain seasons of the Common Version. Revised Version. 42 And when he was twelve years old, thej' 42 salem at the feast of the passover. And went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, ns they returned, the child .Jesus tariied behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 43 when he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of the feast; and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were re- turning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not; LxTKE 2 : 44-46,] JESUS WITH THE DOCTORS IN THE TEMPLE. year. This form of worship is characteristic of the East. These instances may ilhistrate the annual gatherings at Jerusalem in the time of Christ. J6S11S tarried behind] Being now recognized as a '"'son of the law," his parents no longer legally responsible for his conduct, when the returning caravan of pilgrims started north, Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. In the crowd, his parents did not know it. It would be difficult in this throng to find him, and no longer a child to be closely guarded, it was assumed that he was in the company somewhere, looking out for himself, as we would say. 44. went a day's journey] A day's journey in the East is about 20 miles. The first stopping-place going north, according to tradition, was Beeroih-el-Bireh, but this is less than 10 miles out and scarcely a day's jour- ney. Wherever the halt for the night was made, it was only then that an opportunity was given to search for Jesus. The cavalcade on the road would go in single file, as now in Eastern travelling, and the paths are too narrow for riding along the line. The youth was not found among any of the relatives or acquaintances of the family at the night halt, and the sorrowful parents turned back to Jerusalem seeking the lost youth. 46, after three days they found him] The three days are to be counted from the time of their leaving Jerusalem ; surely it is not meant three days of searching in Jerusalem. The journey out would be one day, the return another, and the third day they found him. This is the usual Eastern mode of counting time. He was in the precincts of the temple, where the great Jewish teachers met and conversed or lectured upon questions relating to Jewish law, customs, and observances. These conferences were free to any intelligent Jewish youth. Who these "doctors" or teachers were we do not certainly know. But about this period the great Hillel and his noted opponent, Shammai, were in Jerusalem ; and Simeon, a famous son of Hillel, Eabbi Jochanan, and Jonathan ben Uzziel, the compilers of the Chaldean Targum on the sacred books, flourished ; and the youthful Gama- liel, afterward teacher of the apostle Paul, and Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, with others noted for their Jewish learning, were rising teachers of this period. Jesus was " sitting " in the midst or at the feet of the temple teachers, as pupils were wont to do in the synagogue schools of the period. He was hearing them and asking them questions, a thing not only allowed, but desired by the teachers in all Jewish schools of the day. Jesus had at- tended the synagogue school at Nazareth, as Jewish youth were compelled to do, and we may believe had gained much knowledge and a maturity of thought which fitted him to be a good listener to the temple teachers and an Common Version. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey ; and they sousrht him among their kinsfolk and ac- quaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found liim in the temple, sitting in the midst of tlie doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. Eevised Version. 44 but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey ; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaint- 45 ance: and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him. 46 And it came to pass, after three days tliey found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the i doctors, both hearing them, ^Or, teachers 5g A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. [Luke 2 : 47-49. acute questioner also. These great men would be deeply interested in one so apt as a scholar, and so acute in learning. There is no intimation of for- wardness or of an exhibition of superior wisdom on the part of Jesus, but a natural, respectful, thoughtful attitude following the customary rules of the schools of that day, whether in the synagogue or in the temple. 41. at his understanding and his answers] The usual mode of teaching was for the teacher to propose questions and the pupils or hearers to answer. Sometimes all the listeners were given an opportunity to answer, and then the teacher pointed out the best answer and explained why he thought it the best. What the answers or questions were at this time between the teachers and Jesus we do not know. The amazement of the men of learning in the temple over his discernment and wisdom shows that his answers were exceptionally wise. They could not be so amazed at the mere ability to re- peat from memory large portions of the law : this was a common attainment in a bright Jewish youth. Josephus somewhat pompously says of himself that when he became a "son of the law" he had such a knowledge of it that the chief priests and principal men used to consult him on the interpretation of difficult questions in their sacred law. Philo, a contemporary of Christ, also speaks of the reverence the Jews had for their law and the diligence with which they taught it to all their children from their earliest infancy. So Timothy was thorouglily instructed in the Scriptures, 2 Tim. 3 : 15. 48. Son, why] When his parents found him in the temple they, too, were amazed, and his mother, speaking with the natural feelings of a mother's heart, said familiarly: Child, why hast thou done this to us? Behold thy father and 1, being intensely distressed, have been seeking you. The Greek word for "sorrowful" is a strong one; "with aching hearts" might be an English equivalent. 49. How is it that ye sought me ?] The emphasis is on sought, as the next clause shows. You need not have sought for me. Did you not know that I must (as a necessity of my nature) be concerned in the things of my Father? In the Greek the expression is elliptical : the noun for "business" or " house " not being expressed. Hence the phrase takes on the broadest signification: "the things" of my Father. This would include the house, and the business or affairs of the Father. This explains the variation in the renderings. The Common Version reads " business," the Kevised reads " house," while in the margin " business " is inserted and also the broader mean- ing, " things" of the Greek. It is better to take it in the broadest sense, and as all the Father's " things " centered at his house, the temple; his parents Common Version. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed : and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Revised Version. 47 and asking them questions: and all that heard him were amazed at his under- 48 standing and his answers. And when they saw him, they were astonished : and liis mother said unto him. i Son, wliy h: